The Ties That Bind:S1 - '06 Paley Panel -Behind the Scenes-
by TinkerbellBleu
Summary: I did this as a writing exercise to get to know my OC better by fleshing out the imaginary 'actress' that plays her...which we will get to meet again in 'The French Mistake'. Someday I may make it into a full-blown story, but today is not that day. The characters within are based on the Alternate Reality versions of the actors found in the show itself. *Not RPF*


**Author's Note: **This is actually something I wrote up quite awhile back as a writing exercise. While planning out Skyler's story-arc, I had to figure out who she would be in 'The French Mistake' when Dean and Sam become alternate reality versions of Jared and Jensen. What would her name be? What would the actress be like? Where's she from? So, in an effort to delve into that a bit, I wrote up an alternate reality version of the 2006 Paley Festival Q&A panel.

Please keep in mind, the characters portrayed in this **Do Not Exist**. They are **NOT** Jared and Jensen, they are alternate version realities of themselves per 'The French Mistake'. While they may share quite a bit in common with their real life counterparts, they are **NOT** them and of course Joanie Faire is completely fabricated from my own head.

**Feedback appreciated:** Do you want to read more of this kind of thing? Cons? Panels? Gag reels? Bloopers? Let me know...just be nice about it.

Author's Note:** The complete index/summary/synopsis for season one of The Ties That Bind, as well as (semi-frequent) updates can be found on the author's profile.**

* * *

X

* * *

X

* * *

2006 William S Paley Television Festival

Supernatural Panel

March 4th, 2006

**David**: Hi everyone, my name is David Bushman, I'm a television curator at the Museum of Television and Radio and I will be your moderator this evening. I want to welcome all of you to the Museum's 23rd Annual Paley Television Festival. That clip that you just saw is from Route 66, which is one of the shows that creator Eric Kripke of Supernatural often cites as one of his influences and that explains why we picked it, that's part of our collection. We have 120,000 television and radio programs in our collection and I would encourage all of you to visit the Museum in Beverly Hills and in New York when you're there.

Tonight we are really excited to be honoring Supernatural, which was named one of the top five new series of 2005 by Entertainment Weekly.

"Supernatural is a vibrant, fresh, exciting show that combines all sorts of genre elements: family drama, romance, comedy, suspense and on top of that, it just scares the hell out of you."

I really want to thank Warner Bros. for all they did in helping make this night happen, particularly the PR department.

What we're going to do tonight, we are going to introduce the cast and the creative team, our panelists for the evening, to introduce them very briefly. Eric's going to say a few words about what you're going to see and we're going to watch an episode of the program, which Eric will talk about. Then we bring the panelists back up, I'll ask some questions and then you guys are on, so start thinking of questions now, okay?

So let me start with the panelists intros.

First, one of the producers of Supernatural, please welcome Peter Johnson.

Next, we have co-executive producer and director, Kim Manners.

Next, we have co-executive producer and writer, John Shiban.

Next, he plays Dean Winchester, please welcome Jensen Ackles.

Next, he plays Sam Winchester, please welcome Jared Padalecki.

Next, she plays Skye Winchester, please welcome Joanie Faire.

Next, the executive producer and director, Robert Singer.

Finally, the man whose vision created Supernatural, is the creator, executive producer and writer, please welcome Eric Kripke.

**Eric**: Hey everybody. Thank you so much for coming. It's a little overwhelming and amazing, quite frankly. This is, to my knowledge, the first gathering of any Supernatural fans anywhere, so thank you to you and give yourself a round of applause.

Just a quick story from a set of Supernatural 'cause it's just happened last night. They were shooting up at Stanley Park, which is a public park up in Vancouver. We were about to start filming when we got a call that there was a man about 100-200 yards from the film company with a handgun. They called Jared and Jensen and Joanie and said 'don't come to set, there's a man with a handgun' and they shut down the whole production for two hours. They called in the police, they called in the swat team, they stormed... uh this is all true, very true, this all just happened last night...They all stormed Stanley park. You know, looking for this man with a gun...and it turned out to be a member of our special effects crew.

So, good times from the set of Supernatural. Anyway, so I'm supposed to introduce the episode so let me do that. The episode we're showing tonight is Scarecrow.

(Audience applauds)

**Eric:** Alright, Scarecrow fans in the house. It was written by a very brilliant John Shiban

And it was directed by a very brilliant Kim Manners. The reason we chose Scarecrow, we sort of felt it was just a good mix of everything the show is about. You know, we think there's really some good drama between the Winchesters. Some good comedy. Good mythology about Dad and it introduces Meg, which people online seemed to have problems with. We just think it's a scary, damn good episode, based on a series of very fun urban legends about scarecrows. So, I'll stop rattling on. Enjoy Scarecrow, we'll talk after.

(Lights dim)

(Cue Season 1: Episode 11 "Scarecrow")

(Lights come up)

**David**: Are there any X-Files fans there, in the audience? Every time I see this episode, I feel like shaking Dean and Skye and asking, "What are you doing, trusting the cigarette smoking man?"

I'm about to bring our panelists back up on stage. First panelist is a co-executive producer and director of Supernatural, he's directed nearly 300 hours of television, including 53 episodes of the X-Files which he also produced. Please welcome Kim Manners.

Our second panelist is a co-executive producer and writer on Supernatural, he began his career as the staff writer on the X-Files, writing or co-writing over twenty episodes and eventually serving as executive producer. He was also a co-creator and executive producer of The Lone Gunmen and supervising producer of Harsh Realm and has written for and produced Star Trek Enterprise and Frankenstein, please welcome John Shiban.

Our next panelist portrays Dean, the wisecracking oldest Winchester brother. Before Supernatural he was familiar to WB viewers as Jason Teague on Smallville

(Audience cheers)

**David:**… I don't know if I'm going to get through these intros… he had a recurring role on Dawson's Creek and was a regular on Dark Angel. He received 3 Daytime Emmy nominations for his role on Days of Our Lives. Please welcome Jensen Ackles.

Our next panelist portrays Sam, the rebellious younger Winchester brother. Before Supernatural, he was best known as Rory's boyfriend Dean on Gilmore Girls. His film credits include House of Wax, Cheaper By the Dozen, and Flight of the Phoenix. Please welcome Jared Padalecki.

(**Jensen **and **Jared **sit. Look at each other. **Jared** gets up and moves over a chair, leaving the middle seat open for **Joanie**)

Our next panelist portrays Skye, simultaneously the oldest and the youngest Winchester. Supernatural is her first acting credit. Previously, she was a dancer studying with the California Institute of the Arts. Please welcome Joanie Fair.

Our next panelist, executive producer of Supernatural and director of some episodes of the series, formerly vice-president of NBC drama development team, he produced films and TV-series, including V - The Final Battle. And Stephen King's Cujo. On his own, he has executively produced Midnight Caller, Lois & Clark: the New Adventure of Superman and Reasonable Doubts which he also created. Please welcome Robert Singer.

My final panelist today is the creator of Supernatural, in addition to executive producing for these series. His previous TV credits include the WB series Tarzan. He also wrote and co-produced the feature film Boogeyman. Please welcome Eric Kripke.

**David**: I'll start out with a few questions before we open up it to you guys. Eric, I'm curious how the idea of these series, the genesis of it and how it evolved from concept to what we see on the screen.

**Eric**: For really long time I wanted to do a show about American folklore and urban legends. A subject that even back in elementary school I was sort of obsessed with. As a matter of fact, my very very first TV pitch, when I first started in town when I was 23-24, was an urban legend show. And I kept trying different versions of it and kept getting smacked down. I tried to do it as an anthology and I had this idea of a bunch of reporters in a van 'Scooby-Doo' style. All these terrible ideas and then I was working with WB and just came off Tarzan and they said 'What show would you wanna do?' and I said, 'An urban legend show,' and they said, 'What's the concept?' and I had this long, elaborate storyline that I spent weeks and weeks on about a reporter and it was almost exactly 'Nightstalker', which is hilarious. And they looked at me and they were, 'Meh. Any others? What else?' I literally scribbled it in my notebook a day before, 'Could be like Route 66 with two guys on a road trip'. And they were, 'We love that, do that'. It just came out of nowhere and it developed from there and it turned out to be the right way into the show because they can just drive in and out of a different horror movie every week.

**David**: Did you at this point know, in terms of characters, who these guys were?

I mean, how did the whole this whole family element, which is so important to this show...and even Jared says to the girl on this episode 'I've got to go back because it's my family', how did that whole family aspect…

**Eric**: You write what you know. I come from a big close-knit family and I have a big brother and I have a lot of really great friends. It's sort of the way the guys talk, the way they communicate without ever really communicating anything. So it grew out of that.

In terms of characters, I knew I wanted the little brother to be conflicted and have a lot of the angst and problems, which we threw right to Jared, and I wanted the big brother to be a total smartass and that's how it started. Skye wasn't a character originally but when I pitched the show to the network, they wanted a feminine touch in there somewhere-

**Jared: **I'm not sure she's got that.

**Jensen: **Right?

**Eric**: -and so, you know, with a show like this with the genre and it's sort of out there and it really needs a grounding influence. So, to ground this show in family and elements of family and that, you know, the care this family has for each other really helps us because these three people, the relationships they have…Sometimes we have good subject matter and sometimes, you know, we don't, but the relationship of this family, of these three actors always sees us through.

**David**: Eric, were you familiar with their work or did you just bring in a ton of actors to audition for the roles?

**Eric**: We auditioned everybody in town, as you always do on these pilots. My wife is quite a 'Gilmore Girls' fan, so I knew Jared's work. And Jensen, our director David Nutter who directed the pilot, knew Jensen from ...What was it, Dark Angel? And he knew him from Dark Angel and so….Dark Angel (Eric gestures to Jensen, addressing the crowd) Jensen and Dark Angel! I mean, come on!

(Crowd cheers)

**Eric:** So when we were casting the characters, David Nutter said, "We have to fly down Jensen", who was up shooting Smallville at the time, so he wasn't really in the pilot pool. Thank God we did because he walked in-actually the story, which is funny is, Jensen walked in the room and met with us; David and Peter Johnson and I and we talked to him and talked to him and walked out the door and we looked at each other and we were so so excited. We were like, we found him! We found Sam!

**Jared**: I didn't get flown down! I had to drive myself.

**Joanie:** (British accent) What, you didn't get the limo?

**Jaren: **You got a limo?

**Joanie**: ...No, I didn't get a limo. I took the bus.

**Eric**: - And so it wasn't until we met Jared that we were like 'that's Sam' and then Jensen can be Dean. Then we just had one last piece of the puzzle and that was the girl.

The network wanted a woman to balance the guys, I guess and I didn't really want a girly-type girl to mess with the relationship between the brothers or the general attitude of the show so I came up with Skye. Trying to be the feminine influence and still kind of keep her one of the boys while making her kind of outrageous just to kind of, you know, because why not.

Once I had this character in mind it was hard to find someone to fit the specific idea I had of her. One of the key features to her is her size and agility and finding an actress that small with a background in dance or gymnastics was difficult. So it was Deanna, my wife Deanna, who actually-who ended up-

**Joanie: **So yes, this is her fault.

**Jared:** And we do blame her.

**Jensen:** You couldn't get, like, Emilia Clarke or somebody?

**Joanie:** (American/Okie accent) Bite me, Winchester.

**Jensen: **Pick a spot, Tinkerbell.

(Audience cheers)

**Eric: **-ended up suggesting we go looking at dance schools and ballet companies and that's where we found Joanie. We only auditioned three or four girls, I think, before she walked in and physically she was exactly what we were looking for so she read a scene and she uh, she-

**Joanie: **I sucked.

**Eric: **-she was _okay_. Not great, but she had the dance background and she had just the right look and skillset so we brought her in to do a scene with Jared and Jensen just to see how it went-

**Jensen: **She walked in, saw us and the first words out of her mouth were '...oh fuck me'.

**Jared: **He's not kidding. That's how that phrase ended up in so many episodes.

**Joanie: **Oh come on, you walk into a room with two-meter-tall male models who are perfectly capable of bench-pressing you and tell me you don't think the same.

**Jensen:** Meters? What is that in English?

**Joanie: **I speak English, you speak American. Badly.

**Eric: **-so, we brought Joanie in to read with the guys and the chemistry between the three of them was instant. They just kind of clicked and the pieces fell in place from there.

**David**: How about you guys?

**Jared**: I'll let Jensen take that.

**Jensen**: Ah, no, Jo can go ahead

**Joanie: **You know, I'm alright, thank you.

**Jared**: What was-what was the exact question again?

**David: **The question is-

**Jensen**: Is this a spelling bee?

**Jared: **Can you use the word in a sentence?

**Eric:** 'leopard'.

**Jared:** Leper?

**Eric: **Spell 'leopard'.

**Joanie:** Like 'Jensen and Jared wear matching leopard-print panties'?

**Jared:** No, we wore the zebra stripes today.

(Audience laughs)

**David:** The question was, can you talk about the audition process from your perspective?

**Jared**: Well, it's interesting to me, hearing it from Eric's perspective. I had obviously been working with Warner Brothers on Gilmore Girls for five years prior to doing this show. I worked on Gilmore Girls and sort of developed a relationship with some of the people at the Warner Brothers officers and heard about a few of the pilots coming out. I read this one in particular and I really enjoyed it and the characters. It really struck me as something that-I remembered hearing once in its breakdown, it's kind of like-It's called Supernatural. I was kind of thinking, like, great. Charmed or Buffy, which are great shows, but not the show I wanted to be part of. You know, I didn't want to do Roswell or Charmed or Buffy and then when I read it, I was like wow. This is very interesting and so much more than just, like, a scary show.

**Joanie:** Can I still do Buffy or Charmed?

**Jensen: **No, I'm pretty sure Kripke owns us now.

**Eric:** You think that was red ink you signed with?

**David: **What appealed to you about it?

**Jared**: I grew up son of an English teacher, so she was always big- she actually taught heroes, myths and legends, so I was familiar with the mythology and sort of the Joseph Campbell taught teachings…the 'taught teachings' of Joseph Campbell.

**Robert**: Didn't rub off that she was an English teacher.

**Jared**: Didn't rub off. Uh, yeah, it didn't. I just worked till 4:30 this morning in Vancouver so I'm a little worse for wear.

**David**: It's interesting that you mention Joseph Campbell, because there's a little bit of the reluctant hero in the uh-

**Jared**: Very much. I mean, there's so much more than just the reluctant hero. I mean, when you get into the archetypes, they're sort of, each script is-is just bursting at the seams with archetypes. And, you know, the last thing, I think these people want to hear is me going into explanation of- I love the script, I love the character.

**Jensen**: (Feigning falling asleep out of boredom/Snores)

**Joanie**: 'Bursting at the seams Archetypes'. This is why Jared plays the college boy.

**Jared**: (Gives Jensen a look. Reaches past Joanie to shake Jensen's knee) We're doing a-we're doing an answer...

**Jensen**:('Wakes') I'm awake.

**David**: So uh, so your agent sent you the script and you were auditioning for Sam all along?

**Jared**: I guess, I guess where the-where the process or how the process, where it was when it reached me was 'read this script see if you like the character, see if you like the script'. It was sort of like do you feel you can mesh with this script and I felt I could. So I went in and I met some of the guys and I re-met Nutter and sat in an office with uh, who was it?

**Eric**: Uh, me, Nutter, and Peter Johnson. We were at the offices and yeah, he came in and he had such energy and just so lived the character and just so _was_ the guy. It's a cliche to say that but he really was. It was-it was an easy choice.

**David**: And did you feel real good about it coming out?

**Jared**: Well yeah. It was by no means that short a process. That was sort of the beginning of the week or two week long finding of scripts and characters and I think the scripts were still being rewritten. I remember I had scene and a script and they were like 'this is changing' and they were like 'read the script but it has nothing to do with this'. Much like it is nowadays. You know, we get a script and they're like 'we're shooting this in a week but it will be completely different'-it's just, it can always get better and everybody's always working hard up to the very last second. Up till they call action, people are working here and in Canada. It's just, you know, sprinting.

**David:** Jensen, what was your experience?

**Jensen: **Pretty much the same-

**Jared:** (Pretends to fall asleep out of boredom/Snores)

**Jensen:** Uh, yeah. Well, like Eric said, they had originally brought me in for the role of Sam and, uh, I knew David Nutter very well. I'd worked on testing on a number of pilots before that so I felt very comfortable with him and his recommendation of me coming and he felt good about it. I had a conversation with him on the phone before I came in and he just kind of gave me the spiel about Sam and what he thought and then I read the script and I was just like...what about Dean? I like Dean. It was funny but, you know, I studied for Sam and I went in there and I actually kind of studied for Dean a little bit too, just in case. I read for Sam and I-like Eric said they were pleased with it and then I went home that evening and got a phone call and they said 'well there's this guy Jared Pada-Padasomething and they really are liking him for one of the brothers', and I'm like okay, so of course I look up him up online and I'm like-

**Jared:** He thought I was hot.

**Jensen:** This guy is smokin' hot, I can't play his brother and um, no, then they said-they said they'd like to bring you back in for Dean and of course I was very excited about it and I came back in and was thrilled and that's kind of how it all...

**David:** Joanie, your experience was a little different, wasn't it?

**Joanie: **Um, yes, just a bit. I had um, I had no intention of going into acting, it just kind of happened. I was studying at the California Institute of the Arts and I went in to class one day and my instructor pulled me aside and said um-he said 'there's a studio sending out a casting call for a dancer'-

**Jared:** (Singing) Hold me closer tiny dancer…

**Joanie: **(Sideways look to Jared before continuing) -and so he talked me into going in to read for the part because I guess they were looking for something very specific. Why, I don't know-

**Eric:** Because I'm picky.

**Joanie: **Because Eric's picky. Yes, so, I went in and there was Eric and David and Peter were all there and I did a reading for them and I just-I was so awful.

**Jared:** I've seen the tapes, it wasn't that bad.

**Jensen: **So have I….yes it was.

**Joanie:** I was nervous, alright? Dancing you're kind of-you're kind of anonymous, nobody's looking at your face. So any road, (Pointed look at the boys) Are you going to interrupt again? No? Alright, and so any road-

**Jared:** So anyway, what were you saying?

**Joanie: **(Gives Jared a stern look) What was I saying?

**Eric:** About how you sucked.

**Joanie: **Yes, so, thank you Eric. I was absolutely terrible but apparently I had the right look with the correct skills, so they decided-Eric decided 'sod it', he'd bring me in to meet with Jared and Jensen and do a scene to see how it went and um, and that's how I messed up and joined a TV show with these gits.

**David:** So by the time Jared and Jensen, by the time you two performed together, you already had the parts. They weren't audioning-

**Jared:** Did we?

**Jensen: **Well uh, no, we didn't have it officially.

**Robert:** No, we had to do the-

**Eric:** They were the only actors we brought in to network, Joanie as well, because we, you have to have a network-

**Jensen:** The formality of the network.

**Jared:** It's seriously a terrifying process of these guys and girls you audition with all year long and it's five people that you're very very afraid of sitting in a room with you all going for the same part.-

**Joanie: **So glad I didn't do that, I probably would have died or thrown up or something.

**Jensen:** You did throw up first day on set.

**Joanie:** ...thank you for that.

**Jensen: **You're welcome.

**Jared:** When we got there it was like 'hey' 'hey' 'where is everybody'? 'There is nobody'.

**Jensen: **Just us buddy. They uh-they didn't bring in Joanie until later, after Jared and I already had the part. Well, we went in, me and Jared, and that was it and that was the first time we'd actually met and then we did a scene together for a room full of executives. Um, then a couple weeks after that they called us up and said they thought they'd found a girl but uh-but she was new to acting and they weren't sure if she was going to work out but they uh, they wanted me and Jared to go through a scene with her just to see how it went and uh-

**Jared:** And that was that.

**Joanie: **And we've hated each other ever since.

**Jared:** I poisoned your waters.

**David:** Let's get to everyone else. Kim, we can start with you and then talk about how you became involved in Supernatural.

**Kim:** I read for Sam.

**Jared:** Did everybody read for Sam?

**Joanie: **I wanted to read for Dean but I wasn't attractive enough.

**Kim**: Nutter, who directed the pilot, is a good friend. He did season 1 of X-Files and um, he called and asked if I would do a favor and come in and do one episode because I was kind of semi-retired after X-Files. Fell in love with Sam and Dean and Skye and I was driving home, to my home in Missouri, and they called me and they said we want you to come on as part of the team and I turned around and here I am.

**Jensen:** And thank God.

**Kim:** And I'm having a good time.

**Eric:** I don't know what we'd do without Kim up there, he's unbelievable.

**Kim: **I know what you'd do, you'd get another guy.

**Eric: **No, not true.

**Robert:** There is no other guy...named Kim.

**Kim:** You know, if this whole thing fails, you guys can right right into stand-up.

**Jensen:** I don't want to stand up to him. (referencing **Jared**) I'd have to stand on an apple box.

**Jared:** I'm pretty lazy, I'd rather sit.

**Joanie:** Don't even start.

**David:** John would-

**Jared:** Meanwhile, what he doesn't know, what he didn't know about this whole process is that after we had him direct, I guess it was our fourth episode? We had our pilot with David Nutter, Wendigo with David Nutter, Hookman with David Jackson, and then Kim came in and immediately I think, from day one, we were on the phone with everybody. We were on the phone with Peter and Eric and saying 'this guy is incredible, who is this guy' and David Nutter had sort of given him this very sort of mysterious 'you'll love him' kind of sentence at the very beginning, 'cause we were-

**Jensen:** Very Jedi (waves hand slowly a la Jedi mind trick)

**Jared: **Very Jedi-

**Joanie:** And _I_ play a nerd.

**Jensen:** The only reason Skye speaks Elvish and Klingon is because you _actually do_.

**Joanie:** Hedithon le min noer Orodruin [I'm going to hurl you into the fires of Mt. Doom.]

**Jared:** Yeah, it was like 'who is Kim, who is this guy' 'oh, I know him from this' 'who is Kim Manners' 'you'll love Kim Manners' and sure enough, we were like what and um, he came on and he was just incredible. (Loses mic) Can I borrow-can I borrow-and so we uh, we basically begged and pleaded to get him um-

**Kim:** (Pitiful tone) A job, just a job, that's all I wanted.

**Jared:** A job. He was hungry, he was-you know he kept trying to bite my arm, I was really worried.

**David:** Now, I don't want to embarass Kim, but what was so incredible about him?

**Kim: **About who?

**John:** You. (Pointing to **Kim**)

**Jensen: **Well, I think that-I think that Jared and Joanie and I just, we just really responded well to him. I mean he-he directed in a fashion that-that we really liked and um, you know, and it's kind of a set where guys could be guys-

**Joanie:** (Raises a brow at the audience and gestures to herself)

**Jensen: **-and this one chick can be a guy, and he wasn't someone who-who directed behind the screen with a telephone somewhere in L.A. and was like, you know, doing over and over and then a close-up and a close-up and let's get out of here and move on to the next set. He was-he was in there and, you know, a story about another uh episode that he directed, Bugs. This was a-a-a scene where we had to get in-

**Kim:** (Pretends to shoot self. Audience laughs)

**Jensen:** -to a room…

**Kim:** (Waves to Jensen) Sorry.

**Jensen:** Yeah-no-that's, I mean, you know we get into this tiny little room with 65,000 bees and the whole camera crew and the sound crew and everybody's got full bee outfits on and then they're like 'alright, Joanie, Jensen, hop on in'-

**Joanie:** And don't swat them because it makes them angry.

**Jensen:** Yeah, and uh, I'll give it to Kim. He said that, uh, you know, what if-if you don't have bee suits on then I'm not either and he went in there with shorts and a t-shirt and a monitor and sat down on a box and directed us from inside the room with bees crawling all over our faces. It's just-it's just that kind of relationship with Kim.

(Audience cheers and applauds)

**David:** John, how'd you get involved?

**John:** I was going through the, uh, the annual ritual of staffing season and I uh, I had a pilot that didn't go so I was available and reading all the pilots and taking meetings. I read the script and loved it, uh, and met Eric and loved him-

**Eric:** Aww.

(Audience awws)

**John:** -and I know and-

**Eric: **John's my guy.

**John:** -and it's not-it's true (Referencing **Eric**), um and uh, you-I-there are a lot of, uh, you know I spent a long time on the X-Files and am offered a lot of scary television shows every year. It's like 'will you do this one' and this one just struck me right away. Especially when I finally saw the cut of the pilot because it had those two things that I think you need to have a successful show like this. One is a great franchise, which is the engine that runs the show. The idea of the family on the road trip with a very personal agenda is just great and you can imagine, I can see instantly five years of suffering for these guys and uh, episode after episode uh, and the second thing is honestly is-is casting and chemistry and chemistry is something that you can't manufacture and these guys have it and they're so great to write for and they're so fun to write for-

**Jared: **(Gives Jensen a longing look over **Joanie**'s head)

**Jensen:** (Returns look over **Joanie**'s head)

**Jared:** (Leans in to kiss **Jensen**)

**Joanie: **(Slides down in seat)

**Jensen:** (Pulls away. Waves finger 'no' at **Jared**. Points to audience. Raises eyebrows and smirks.)

**Jared:** Was worth a try, worth a try. (Laughs)

**John:** So I said yeah, I'm coming on.

**David:** Bob, how about you?

**Robert:** Can I just watch them? (Gestures to **Jared,** **Jensen** and **Joanie**)

(Audience laughter)

**Robert: **Um, they had actually made this pilot and I saw the pilot and uh, really liked it a lot and I think what the studio wanted was, um, after they saw it and it got picked up and the studio at one point probably said to themselves 'wh-'

(**Jared **and **Jensen **and **Joanie** acting up somehow off-camera)

(Audience laughter)

**Eric:** He can't get anything done.

**Robert: **(Gestures to **Jared, Jensen, **and **Joanie) **This is what it's like to direct them. Uh, the studio said well, we can't give $40 plus million dollars to Eric Kripke and let him run wild with it-

**Eric:** (Laughing) That's very true.

(**Jared, Jensen, **and **Joanie **acting up off-camera)

(Audience laughter)

**Robert: **This is so hard.

(Audience laughter)

**Robert: **(Reaches over and puts hand in between himself and **Jared, **looking at **David**)

**Eric:** These people are very very tired.

**Robert:** So they thought they needed some, you know, a uh, an experienced hand to guide the young man through these rocky waters. The young man of course felt what do I need this old fart for-

**Eric:** No way.

**Robert:** And anyway, we met-and we met a number of times and finally Eric got comfortable enough with me for us to join up and partner on this thing and um it-it's interesting because we are sort of different generations and we approach drama in a kind of a different way, um, but we sort of worked together and we found that we always-we really arrive at the same place even though the methods are kind of a little different of how we get there.

**David:** Can you explain what you mean when you say that coming from different generations you come from it a different way?

**Robert:** I don't know if that's a generational thing but I'm very…

**Eric:** Sober.

**Robert:** Yeah, there's that, yeah. Um it-it's, this is so boring but um, for um I-I don't come in-everything is from a character's point of view. It's all about character for me and I like to let the plot work itself out given what the characters are going to do and what I'm interested in seeing is how the, you know, it drives the plot but I'm most interested in how the characters react to it. Um, and-and so the stories I do tell tend to get a little (Makes wavy gesture) but the characters though are probably interesting.

Eric really works very very hard on these stories uh, and gets the plot down and knows that once his plot is good, the character stuff will come naturally to that so we sort of (Meet in the middle gesture) go like this when we're in the room together and we'll, well, arrive at that place which both things are serviced and I think we're really in sort of a one voice now that we-we rarely disagree on stuff and it's uh, you know, I've worked alone for a long time so it's kind of really cool to have a partner and-

**Eric:** (Sniffs, faux-crying and points at Robert) And to uh, blow some up his ass for a minute um, he brings a depth and a-a maturity of character and just depth to the drama that I could not do. You know that me, on me alone, is like Bogeyman and-and-

(Audience laughter)

**Eric:** And like, all of a sudden like, with him we have-have a show where you have these characters that are psychologically rich and true and Bob is behind huge amounts of that so uh, we-this should wound not succeed at all without him.

(**Robert** and **Eric** lean over and hug)

(Audience 'aww's')

**David:** Let me ask one more question before I open this up to the audience. This is mostly for the writers, mostly um, which I guess is Eric and John. Eric, you've been quoted as saying that you know this show differs from a lot of the other suspense or supernatural shows that you see out there because you don't want to get involved in those long drawn-out stories or the mythology so much as you just want to focus on scaring people and on the urban folklore.

I think, speaking for myself and maybe for some people out there too, I find the mythology with the kids with their Mom and their Dad one of the really compelling parts of the story. I'm wondering how you just, you start to see even with the last episode that aired Tuesday, you're starting to see you guys coming back to that and I'm wondering how do you decide when it's time to sort of veer away from what X-Files used to call 'monster of the week' story and come back to the mythology of the show? How do you decide when it's time to do that?

**John: **Two things, uh, I mean there's a lot of painful hair-pulling discussions and arguments on when should we and when shouldn't we but a part of that is driven too by just the nature of television. You want to save some of your big moments for Sweeps and so you kind of work the season around that. Actually, a very nice five or six episodes that are non-mythology and then you can pull the mythology back and again, due to the nature television, you want to end the season with something astounding and uh, also, going back to what Bob was saying, the mythology is all about character. It's all about what the family is going through and so that's where we're going to head when we want to do something spectacular.

**Eric**: We had a-we had a-this mythology plan for season one and God willing for a pick-up, we have plans for seasons two and three and we have this plan on where the story goes in-

(Audience cheers)

**Eric:** Yeah! On the CW! Um, and-and so, you know, it was sort of the plan, which is the first seven episodes, you want to be these self-enclosed stories so you can kind of pick up more viewers and then you start to thread in more mythology but I think it's a balance because, it's my own personal taste, which is-I mean, I like-I want a satisfying end every week too and-and um, you know, I mean Lost is an untouchable show. It's brilliant and an unbelievable show but I find the endless mystery, my own taste, frustrating and if-if you're going to give ongoing mystery-

(Audience applause)

**Eric:** -People who believe and if you're going to give ongoing mystery at least give a rollicking badass story apart from it that can have a beginning, middle and end you can be satisfied with and the good guys can win and you can have the experience of being told a story and then, you know, thread in the ingoing mystery. So, I think, it's keeping a lot of different plates spinning and it's not-it shouldn't be any one thing or another.

**David:** Do you know where this story ends?

**Eric:** I do actually, yeah.

**David:** Does anyone else on this panel know where this story ends?

**Kim:** Yeah, but if we tell you, we have to kill you.

**Eric: **Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's hard because you never know when you're going to get cancelled or if you're going to go thirty-seven years like Gunsmoke or something.

**John:** Oh God, please.

**Kim: **The boys are in walkers.

**Joanie:** They'd have to clone me so Skye stays nineteen.

**Jensen: **(Old man voice) Sammy! Tink! Where are my dentures!

**Eric:** They'll finish out the season and then they'll slowly die. And uh, so, but yes, we have really a if-if I could somehow find out what the last season was going to be or a five-six year plan, I sort of know the final, you know, battle as it were that all shapes up and um, yeah, you know.

**David:** We're going to have to wait. Let's take some questions from the audience. I'm going to call on two people for a first and second question. Please wait for the mic because this even is being taped and we need to be able to hear you. Uh, okay, there's one all the way in back over there and there's-one's in a green shirt right down here. We can start down here with the green shirt and then go to the back question.

**Question:** Sorry, I had to take my gum out. Hi, um, I'm-let me say I'm originally from Sacramento and I wanted to know if there's any significance to their Dad being in Sacramento twice or if it's just random or spoilery…

**Eric:** You wrote it, John. What was in Sacramento?

**John: **I don't want to give it away yet.

**Jensen:** So yes, there is.

**John:** I'm not going to tell you either.

**Jensen:** I want to know.

**Eric:** Yeah, why?

**John:** After, after.

**Jensen: **Yeah pal, thanks a lot.

**Robert:** ...tickets for a Sacramento Kings game. So the answer is that there is but you're not going to say what it is.

**John**: Exactly.

**David:** Okay. Speaking of locations, is there any significance to Lawrence, Kansas? That it started in Lawrence, Kansas?

**Eric:** Well, I would say, uh, if anyone does a uh-

**Jared:** In other words, yes.

**Eric:** Yes, there is and I say that because we tend to be a really research oriented show and about American urban legends and there's a very famous urban legend near Lawrence, Kansas.

**David:** It somehow factors-

**Eric:** Yeah, you know, if you guys go home and do a Google search on Lawrence, Kansas, some stuff will come up.

**David:** Do you guys know what it is? Jared, Jensen or Joanie?

**Eric:** I don't think I've ever told you guys.

**Joanie:** Uh yeah.

**Jensen:** Yeah, yeah. Of course.

**Jared:** We haven't decided when we're going to tell Kripke what it is.

**David:** Okay. In the back, all the way.

**Question : **Hi uh, I just wanted to say I'm from Texas too-

**Jared: **Woo!

**Joanie: **Oh lovely, are you horrifically tall too?

**Question :** No, no but anyway, I had a question for Joanie and then one for everybody. Joanie, in the show you're from Oklahoma but where are you really from? And then, for all of you, what urban legend or folklore really does scare you guys?

**Joanie:** Reading, England. Well, um, really I hold dual-citizenship. I was born in Maine but-but my father is from Reading so we moved back when I was about a year old. Lived there most of my life until I moved to the States to attend the Institute about a year ago, thank you for asking.

**Eric:** Kim? What scares you?

**Kim:** Um. Nothing scares me.

(Audience laughter)

**Joanie:** Everything is scared of Kim.

**Jared:** That's true.

**Jensen:** I believe it.

**Kim: **I direct television so, you know, if-if you can live through that, nothing scares you.

**John:** Really good answer.

**Kim:** Well, it's true. What scares you, John?

**John:** You do.

**Kim:** Late scripts?

**John:** Yeah, yeah. When you call me and say 'where's the damn script', that's frightening. What about you guys? (Gesturing to **Jared **and **Jensen** and **Joanie**)

**Jensen:** I've been dealing with them all season, man. I'm scared of them all.

**John:** What about those bees?

**Jensen:** Bees. That's what I'm saying. Jo?

**Joanie:** Oh God the bees, never again, please. Um? What urban legends scare me? Well, all of them, really. There is one um, I think it's fairly well known. The 'the call is coming from inside the house' one? That-that one always bothered me.

**Jared:** I'll say something. I uh, my Daddy used to make me watch a show called Shadowman or something when I was growing up. It was about this shadow that lived under this kids bed and he was sort of-

(Audience member interrupts. Unintelligible)

**Jared:** What's that?

(Unintelligible)

**Jared: **...and anyway and uh and it was his buddy and he wasn't very popular in school so the shadowman started kind of getting all the bullies for him and one day he became another kids shadowman and...yeah, it's probably not as scary as…(Laughs. Covers head with jacket in embarrassment)

**Eric: **You? (Gestures to Robert)

**Robert:** Go ahead.

**Eric: **Well uh, Hookman freaked me out when I was a kid. The killer with a hook, all the different stories of the killer with a hook and uh, and you know the 'aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light'. I thought that was really cool and uh, there's the licked hand. You ever heard of the licked hand? That was a really cool one and uh, so, like that was always sort of freaky for me.

**David: **Okay, so let's take two more questions. Um. We get this one down here and uh there's one all the way in the back right next to you. Right. Go ahead.

**Question:** Um, yeah, hi. My-my question is for Joanie. Were you familiar with Jared and Jensen at all before you started working with them? Was there any kind of, you know, fangirling going on?

**Jensen:** So much fangirling.

**Jared:** Honestly, we were embarrassed for her.

**Jensen:** We had to peel her off Jared with a spatula.

**Joanie: **Um no, not really. I vaguely knew of Jensen because I'd seen Dark Angel. I adore Jessica Alba, but hadn't paid much attention to...what was his name? Alex?

**Jensen:** Alec.

**Joanie: **Alec. Any road, I-I'm not one for horror movies so I'd never um, I'd never seen House of Wax and ...what was the one that just came out of Jensen's?

(Audience member 'Devour')

**Joanie:** Devour, yes. I actually did see that one recently and...found it quite funny.

**Jared:** She laughed till she cried.

**Jensen:** She did, that's true. It was uh...hurt my feelings a little bit. There may have been tears. No, you know who she did fangirl over?

**Joanie: **To cut poor Jensen off at the knees, I fangirled quite hard over Julie Benz. I'm a big Buffy and Angel fan and I'd always loved to hate Darla so-so meeting her was-was very exciting. I think I must have asked her a thousand questions and she was so nice and so so patient, she is really a wonderful person.

**David:** Alright. Uh, in the back.

**Question:** Are there any stories about uh, about the show being too sexy or too scary like, do you do trade-offs with the network like they say 'well you can have two seconds of this if you back off on that'?

**Jensen:** Uh yeah, I think we've run into that a few times this season.

**Eric:** Nightmare was the first time.

**Robert:** Oh right, yeah. When you get into really strange discussions of 'can we not see the decapitated head roll' and then you start arguing about 'well can it do half a turn' they say, okay, it can do half a turn but the blood gush can't be for two seconds, it has to be for one second. Um, those are ongoing discussions but actually the network's been great. We've really pushed the envelope in every sense and they let us get away with more than we thought they would.

**Jensen:** There was also in the, uh, when-

**Jared:** The gun rig,

**Jensen:** Yeah, the gun rig, with me when Dean gets shot in the head.

**Eric:** Yeah, the episode nightmare is the first and only time we've ever had issues with Standards and Practices. Like, with everything else, they were just like 'give us more' and then again we were just shocked by that. But there there-there were a couple of scenes. The first was when uh, when Dean and Sam were returning to the motel wearing their priest outfits and uh-uh Dean says uh something about he has to go grant absolution. The-the uh, the original line was something like, uh 'I have to go make my wife scream her Daddy's name'-

**Jensen:** I thought it was hilarious.

**Joanie: **You would.

**Eric:** \- yeah uh...they-they didn't like that and uh, the second issue was with the scene where, it's a vision it doesn't really happen, but where Dean gets his brains blown out and we thought and we rigged it-

**Jensen: **The rig was awesome.

**Eric:** Yeah, we rigged it so the shot actually goes into his forehead and the blood explodes out the back onto the wall and we're like 'haha this is our lead' and the network was like, no way.

**Jensen:** Yeah like, this giant backpack filled with like grapes and corn syrup and it was this tube just kind of coming right-right out of the back and from the head on and I had a little button in my hand and they just yelled action and we timed it with the gunshot and I hit the button and gave a reaction and the whole bed and wall went splat. It was an awesome rig but then they ended up having to cut with just the splat and back to me with the hole.

**Robert:** Back to Dean with the hole. But the director of that episode is here tonight sitting next to my wife, as it is, and-

**Eric:** (Applauds) Phil Sgriccia, stand up.

(Audience applause)

**Robert:** -and uh, when I looked at those dailies and I called Phil and he said 'how are they how are they' as, you know, because Kim can tell you all us directors are so self-confident that we don't need constant approval or anything. Um, he said-I said they're great, Phil, but what the hell are you doing? He said, 'well, they'll look at that and they'll give me the rest of the stuff'.

**Kim:** We actually play a game with BSP broadcast standards and practices where we cut the show and we cut it way too violent or way too sexual and they come in and they go 'well, you have to take out four frames of this shot' and you go 'oh god not four frames' 'yes four frames' so you take it out but you always knew that you didn't need those four frames so we kind of stack the deck.

**David:** Okay, there's a question over there in the corner and there's one back there. Over there, too.

**Question:** Oh, okay, um, well we've had the question about what urban myths scare you, but for those of you who are actually on set regularly, has there ever been you know, a blood splatter or that freaky scarecrow that just really creeped you out just to be around on set even though you knew it was plastic or cairo syrup or something?

**Joanie:** (Points to **Jared **and **Jensen**) These. Creep me right out every time.

**Jensen:** Jo before she hits makeup and wardrobe.

**Jared:** I know one. This one time randomly we were filming Skin, the episode where he's (**Jensen)** is a shapeshifter and we were inside this house-

(Audience applause)

**Jared: **-this brilliant house and we were inside this house and just, this clock on the wall just up and leaned over and fell off, just this round clock. No one was near it, no one was hammering on the wall outside, it just kind of fell off and everybody sort of looked around but instead of, kind of going 'who did that', we were all like ignore it and go back to doing-just decide to not look into it any further. The way real brave people do.

**Jensen:** The show asylum was um, that was shot in an actual abandoned mental institute and so uh, the-the halls and the rooms and-and were all very used at one point and-and uh, you know, it said that-that the crew says not to go up to the fourth floor and it's, and you know, don't. I remember we broke for lunch and I thought I'd be clever and take a shortcut I-I came down a stairwell and went into one door and it was just a long dark hallway because there's no lights, only the one's the film crew puts out and uh, I was like, well it's not that long, I can make it. ...That freaked me out.

**David:** Okay.

**Kim:** Dean Winchester, ladies and gentleman. Afraid of nothing. Did you have one, Jo?

**Joanie:** Umm, actually, it-it wasn't a prop or anything, it was Jensen-

**Jensen:** Wait, I don't think I know this one. I freaked you out?

**Joanie:** Uh, yes, yes you did. It was um, it was while we were filming Skin and Jensen of course played the shifter for part of that episode and I just-I guess I hadn't given him enough credit for being as good an actor as uh-as he is and his-his-the way he-he portrayed the shifter was quite, um, intimidating and it-it did freak me out quite a bit, yes.

**Jensen:** That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me.

**Joanie:** Then I take it back.

**Jensen:** You would.

**David:** In the back, over there.

**Question: **Um, hi. My question is for Jensen and Joanie. I was just wondering what's it really like to shoot the uh-the private scenes between the two of you?

**Jensen:** The private scenes? I'm confused.

**Jared:** The sex.

**Jensen:** Oh...yeah. Umm. It's uh-honestly it's pretty awkward, or it was at first anyway I think we-I think we uh, we've mostly gotten used to it (Looks at **Joanie**)

**Joanie:** Mostly, yes, I'd say it's a bit old hat now. Really, those scenes look very appealing on film but when you're actually shooting them...

**Jensen:** You're surrounded by cast and crew and the director is all 'move your arm this way' or 'tilt your head more' or whatever uh-because uh, they have to get the shot so there's-there's really nothing sexy about it at all.

**Joanie:** Oh, I do have a bit of a story there, if you'd like. Um-it was our-our first time shooting a-a scene like that-

**Jensen:** Skin, right?

**Joanie: **Right. And um, I was quite nervous and um, well much as I give Jensen a hard time-He's actually, he's a very-very nice guy-

**Jensen:** No I'm not, don't lie to these people.

**Joanie:** Hush. Now, any road, before the scene and in between takes I-I mean it was quite obvious that I was just shaking to bits and um, Jensen made it a point to get me laughing, telling jokes and-and just ridiculous stories and it-it helped tremendously.

**David:** We'll take one there and one in the middle. One down here and one in the middle. Yeah, yeah you just-

**Question:** Well, first of all, thanks so much for being here. If you guys are always like this, can I come work on your set?

**Jared:** And thank all you guys for being here.

**Jensen:** Yeah, thank you.

**Joanie:** And from me as well, thank you all.

**Question:** So, we came in to this story when the Winchester's are already adults and I know there's a lot to explore in the future but I was wondering about the past because I know there's a lot of speculation about what their childhoods were like growing up. If we'll ever get to see Skye's mom and um, the boys moving around and how much Miller Time John was doing and how Sam and Jess met, stuff like that, so I was wondering if you were going to explore those aspects of their lives.

**Eric:** We just, it's funny you ask that, we just yesterday uh, actually I think (points toward audience member) I'm talking to Brett that's with the network, I think you're getting a cut on MOnday of an episode that uh, not only do the boys in present day deal with a creature but it's a creature that they dealt with in the past and there's extensive flashbacks to Sam and Dean and John as they're, you know, as the boys are children and Dad and you get to see an element of what their past was like, what their childhood was like and it was, I'm really happy with how it turned out and we wanted to try it once and I think it'll be happening a lot more because there's this great twenty-two year window of-of what happened and-and-and that's-there's a lot of story there that you can flesh out so I think we're definitely going to go there. It's coming up in April, that episode and it was, I was really pleased with how it turned out.

**Jared: **There's another positive because if Little Sam and Little Dean and Little Skye are filming, Big Sam, Big Dean and Skye are sleeping.

**Eric:** Yeah, right, so there's that.

**Jared: **So keep pushing.

**Jensen:** Flashbacks.

**Joanie: **Very important.

**David:** There was a question in the middle.

**Question: **Okay, Dean always wears a certain necklace, does it mean anything?

**Jensen:** (Looking at **Eric)** You going to hang me out to dry on this one?

**Eric:** Yeah, it-it does have significance and it'll-but we can't talk about it.

**John:** It's from Sacramento.

**David:** That's a great question that you picked up on that necklace. Um. Okay, I'm trying to spread them out. Okay, you got somebody back there? Okay, and then this woman down here in the red shirt, but go ahead in the back first.

**Question: **I thought I heard you guys mention on the show one time that you guys do blue screen and green screen, that kind of thing, for special effects. Has that gotten a lot easier for you to do and kind of fake it and um, the second part to that question was, when the DVD set comes out are you guys going to have a lot of behind the scenes jokes because yeah, this is funny.

**Jensen:** We actually just had a film crew on set with us this past week doing behind the scenes stuff for the DVD so, going back to your first question, the green screen and stuff. We do do a lot of...I said do do.

**Kim:** You said do do

**Jared:** You said do do.

**Jensen:** Um, we do work a lot with-

**Kim:** Do do.

**Jensen:** Um, Jared, Jo, you can take this one.

**Joanie: **As Kim and Jensen were saying, or trying to, it was-it was a big learning process for everyone and it's um, a very interesting sort of task to be given, especially with these kind of crazy emotional or physical sequences.

**Jared:** They're like, 'alright, now you're in the woods and it's dark and it's scary and you're hearing things' and you look behind you and there's just this big blue wall with tape and a couple of crew guys standing back there smoking cigarettes and cursing and showing off tattoos and so it's-it's, I think, speaking for myself, I hope I've gotten more of a hang of it.

**Jensen:** And aside from just the actual green screen of it, we can just be in a normal set and then visual effects will then put in something like uh, Phantom Traveler with the smoke that would come out of the vents and stuff like that. That's not something that we obviously see um, so we have to pretend that it's there and there's no real green screen work going on there.

**Eric:** So Jensen, does that mean you guys actually have to act?

**Jared:** No no no no no. I'm actually not here right now. We're actually in Canada, this is-this is-

**Jensen:** These are our body doubles.

**Joanie:** Does acting like you know what you're doing count? Because if so, then I'm acting even when I'm not on set.

**David:** Over here.

**Question:** I actually have two questions. The first one is for Jensen. In a past interview you said you were a Christian. I was wondering, is it hard to do this kind of show, having that background? And the other question is there was an episode where you were trying to reach your Dad and you were like 'give me a call, this is my phone number' and whenever you call you hear 'this is Dean Winchester, leave your coordinates'. Did you ever hear the voicemail on there? Did you hear a lot of fans leaving messages on that number because it wasn't a 555 number. It was very small to pick up on because my sister and I, we watch it, she watches at her place and I watch at mine and I'm like 'did you see the number' and she's like 'is it a real number'? So anyway, that was my question.

**Jared:** If you actually want to call him it's 1-800-Wetlegs. So. That's-this is-

**Jensen: **(Whispers over **Joanie** to **Jared**)

**Jared:** Oh, you changed it? Oh, scratch that.

**Jensen:** If anyone's curious, 1-800-SpankMe is still Jo's number.

**Eric:** Uh, funny thing about that, that was actually a nod to The Santa Claus. 1-800-SpankMe is the joke number that Tim Allen mentions in a scene, so, fun fact.

**Jensen:** What was the question?

**Kim:** You're a Christian.

**Jensen:** Um, your first question. Uh yes, I was raised in a very religious family and-and in that um, I mean, what I do-this is we-we-this is acting. We're telling stories. I portray a character. You know, does my grandmother cringe sometimes? Yeah. But at the end of the day, I'm-it's something that I'm cool with and then as far as the phone numbers, I think there's even a website-an email that's actually had a huge response to it.

**Eric:** Yeah yeah, we got a couple-I mean, we couldn't listen to all of them but there's a couple thousand voicemail messages of people that called and I listened to maybe twenty or thirty of them. Some of them are hilarious. They're like 'Sam, Dean, Skye. Guys, there's a ghost in my attic, you have to come quick'. Those are-those are my favorites.

**Jensen:** That's awesome.

**David: **Alright.

(Hands pop up all over the audience)

**Jared/Jensen/Joanie:** Whoa.

**Jared: **Can you do that again?

**David: **Take one all the way in the back and one right here in the front.

**Question 11:** Hi. My son and I are really big fans, you guys are great and I want to know, what kind of car it is you drive. It's great.

**Jensen:** It's a uh, a '67 Chevy Impala.

(Audience yells: Metallicar!)

**Kim:** They're going to sell well.

**Jensen:** The Metallicar, there it is.

**Joanie:** Do you see how proud he is? It's not actually his car but he's beaming like a proud father.

**Jensen: **Whoa whoa whoa, what do you mean it's not my car?

**Jared:** Shh. Jo, you're going to make him cry.

**Joanie:** Terribly sorry, carry on.

**Jensen:** Uh, yeah, I think we've got about si-

**Kim:** We just bought our fifth one.

**Jensen: **Fifth one. We've got about five of them.

**Jared:** That's why you can't find them on Ebay.

**David:** Right there.

**Question: **Okay, let's talk about the music.

**Jensen:** Yes.

**Question:** I grew up in the seventies and I grew up on the mullet rock, so let's talk about the inspiration that came from that.

**Eric:** That was something that was really important to me coming into the show, coming into the pilot. Um, I'm from a small town in Ohio and this is the music I listen to and I was a huge Zeppelin fan and so, you know, and uh, when it came time to write the pilot and I produced it, it was so important to me that it have that music and not have, all due respect to my beloved network, and not have the music that's usually on that network. I was so rabid about it that in the original draft of the pilot, I even wrote in the script 'cue music and you can take your anemic alternative pop and shove it up your ass'-

**Joanie:** And we see how that worked out.

**Eric:** The reason I wrote the scene in the pilot where they're talking about tapes and he's like, you know AC/DC and Motorhead and Metallica and the reason I wrote that in is, I said if we shot that and it gets into the pilot, then we have to use my music because it's already in the show and they can't put in some Sarah McLaughlin in post so-so this is, you know, we-we've had a great time and Phil also in post production with Bob and figuring out these songs and coming in one morning and what about Billy Squire! I think it's a real signature to the show and-and is-plus it's Midwestern. It's like these guys from Kansas and Oklahoma in a muscle car and this is the music they listen to so it's, you know, I love it and the other night it's just Simon and Garfunkel The Sound of Silence and I'm just laughing my ass off. Yeah! The Sound of Silence on the WB! ...I try to ignore the rest of it. I did end up having to compromise and add in some things I'd rather not have but...but I pretend I didn't.

**David:** Let's take two questions from the middle. One from the end and one from the other. One on this side and then on that side.

**Question**: Hi, I'm an aspiring actor and I wanted to know-

**Robert:** We're sorry.

**Question: **I wanted to know, um, how hard was it for you to get started acting.

**Joanie:** … I think I've already answered that one on my part. Guys?

**Jared: **Alright, I'll field this. It's-it's not the first time I've actually heard that question and I'm-I'm so at a loss for what to tell you. I have a very interesting story. When I was in High School, I won a contest to be on the Teen Choice Awards and hold the trophies and give them to Freddie Prinze Jr when he got best hottie of-

**Jensen:** It's pretty much been downhill since then.

**Jared:** -the world. Yeah, and I just-I rode on Freddie Prinze's coattails. No, I met an agent at the-at the-I met a manager, actually, I'm still with to this day. Sitting with my girl Sandy over there he-we started kind of talking over the phone with sides and he had faith in me and I was going back to High School and I have a Mommy that's a teacher and a Daddy that was an accountant and they were like 'he's finishing HIgh School, he's finishing High School' and I was like,'why can't I go act, why can't I go act' and then, anyways, I flew out for about a week for pilot season and I booked a pilot and then I used that money to go out during the summer so then, I really had a crazy kind of interesting story but I got a lot of buddies that are kind of much more talented and committed than I am that are still struggling to make it so-I-it's a tough tough industry but just working hard and keep making yourself better.

**David:** Jensen, how did you get started?

**Jensen:** Um, well, I mean, like Jared said, there's really no set formula for-for how we, you know, gotten to where we've gotten to. Mine was kind of a sheer luck thing as well. I uh, I was doing theater in Dallas and I happened to have a talent agent from L.A. sitting in and he came up to me afterwards and gave me his pitch and I said 'nah, you're full of crap' and I told him to bugger off and he-then he went up to my folks and kind of gave them their pitch as well and I guess they kind of seemed a little more interested so a few years later, after his persistence, I said well maybe I'll go out there for a couple of months and see if he'll talk the talk and I came out and started working right away and that was about eight or nine years ago.

**Joanie:**...so, for all three of us it seems it was just sheer luck and happenstance. Probably not the answer you were looking for.

**David:** Okay, on that side.

**Question: **First of all, um, Nightmares was a kickass episode and I want to thank you all for that one because it was awesome but let's get down to what really matters. What alcohol do you guys like to drink?

**Jared:** What alcohol you got?

**Question:** I see a lot of beers and stuff in the episodes and it's always my thing to place what you guys are drinking so I was just thinking, are you hard guys or light guys or…?

**Jared:** (Laughing) Oh, my mom would kill me. Um.

**Jensen:** Yeah, can we cut the tape right now?  
**Jared:** Rolling check check. Actually, one of the funny things about the beers is our prop master Chris Cooper, the beer labels, they're always fake labels-

(Weird click from overhead)

**Jared: **God?

**Joanie:** Dad?

**Jensen: **Crap, it's my father-in-law. I'm out. (Starts to get up and sits back down)

**Jared:** Uh, they're always fake labels that usually have something to do with the city we're-that we're filming that episode in. Like, if we're in Texas it'll be Lonestar Lager and if we're in Minnesota it'll be like Timberwolf Ale or something like that but, you know, Jensen and I are Texas boys.

**Jensen:** Yeah, we, you know, we probably drink what you imagine a couple of Texas boys would drink.

**Jared:** Put in a cup.

**Jensen: **That's right….(Smirk) Jo?

**Joanie:** ...I'm not old enough to drink in the States yet, thank you. Back home, it's typically just wine.

**Jensen:** Fancy.

**David:** Now in the back, in the corner there.

**Question:** Hi! Thank you guys so much for being here, I'm a big fan. Um, my question is for Jensen, Joanie and Jared. Um, so, we know that Sam, Dean and Skye's childhoods were a little uh, a little rough. How different were your own childhoods from theirs?

**Jensen:** A 'little' rough. Um. Yeah. Mine was-was pretty typical, I guess. Nothing really spectacular.

**Jared:** Um, very average. You know, as I said, my Mom's a teacher and my Dad was an accountant and it was all just-just very normal, you know?

**Jared **and **Jensen **both look at **Joanie.**

**Jensen:** Jo? (Smiles)

**Joanie:** Umm. Well, I don't-I don't think you can get further apart than my childhood and Skye's. I uh-I come from a fairly well-off family and-

**Jensen: **(Air quotes) "Well off".

**Joanie: **Well, yes.

**Jared: **You have a trust fund.

**Joanie:** That-that is true, I do, yes. I was quite fortunate growing up. My parents were willing and able to send me to good schools and I was quite lucky that they had no issues with indulging my hobbies.

**Jensen:** She played D&D. I mean...I've seen the pictures-

**Jared:** An entire nerd room. Seriously impressive set-up.

**Joanie:** ...what did I do to you that you are doing this to me? It's not bad enough that you told everyone I speak Elvish? Really?

**Jensen:** Because it's funny.

**David:** I have a question for you guys. I'm curious, if this is possible to answer this question, if you guys could pick a scene that you either wrote or acted or directed in that's your favorite scene that you worked on since the show started and if you could tell me why?

**Kim:** I'll take that. Um. Phantom Traveler. I think Bob was uh, he was actually slated to direct that but something came up so they called me in to do it as a favor and um, the scene where um, where Dean and Skye are dancing and the song comes on the jukebox and it's, you know, it's Dean's way of telling her he loves her without-without having to actually say it and-and of course she loves him too and-

**Jensen:** (Wipes fake tears, blows **Joanie **a kiss. Audience laughs)

**Kim:** I'll tell you, Jensen and Joanie both had a tough time with that and we kind of arm-wrestled over it and to get them there because, you know, because they're, you know, they've got their walls up and to break those walls down to look into their hearts was just magical to me and then when they uh-it's I think it's a scene that was cut due to time constraints but-

**Eric:** If you're talking about the one I think you are, it'll be in the deleted scenes on the DVDs.

**Kim:** The walk?

**Eric:** Yeah, that'll be in the deleted scenes.

**Kim:** Then when they uh, they go for a long walk after that kiss-I think it's mentioned in the next scene when-

**Jensen:** Yeah, when uh, when Sam asks what they were doing all night.

**Kim:** So, yeah they go for this long walk after that and spend the night just talking and really opening up to each other in a way neither of those characters had ever done before and the performance out of these two was just-was just phenomenal. You know, it becomes real life and the words become their own and the emotions become their own and that's special to me.

**Jared:** And not just to say this, but having a great director to tell you exactly what to do doesn't make it hard, so you know, I think-

**Kim:** Thank you.

**Jared: **Jensen and Jo and I would tell you a thousand times every day, like, you know Kim got it out of us-

**Jensen:** Lucky as hell to have him.

**Joanie:** Not sure I would have gotten through that particular episode without Kim. It was-it was a bit nerve wracking.

**David:** Did you guys not want to do that scene because you thought they wouldn't do that?

**Jensen:** Um, yes and no, I guess. Uh, I know I speak for Jo too here when I say sometimes we uh, we get a little protective of Skye and Dean and um, them showing emotions and opening up so much to someone else and we-and as an actor as you grow with a character on a series, you really kind of become close to it, you protect it. I guess that-that was probably what that was and I just didn't-we weren't real sure how much of the layers to uh, to peel away and I guess, I know at least for me, I just kind of put up my own barriers but if there was anybody to get us through it, it was Kim so we're glad he was there.

**Joanie:** I think-I think Jensen is kind of spot-on there. I mean, before then you'd sort of, you'd kind of gotten these glimpses behind the walls, so to speak, and little bits and pieces here and there of how they felt about each other-

**Jensen:** Moderate antipathy.

**Joanie:** Pure loathing. Any road, um, dammit Jensen. What was I saying?

**Jared:** I don't know, I think you were just rambling on about nothing in particular. There were walls and bits and pieces and it just sounded kind of gruesome.

**Joanie:** Thank you. So much. Both of you, really. I have-I have no idea where I was going now. Let's just-let's just move on.

**Jensen:** Sleep deprivation, ladies and gentleman.

**David:** John, you have a favorite?

**John:** There was a moment in Skin that-that I'm proud of and actually in-the-it sort of says something about how we tell our stories because we're always saying okay, we want to do this type of episode and we want to do this type of monster but how would Supernatural do it? How is it special to our show? And uh, I remember being in Kripke's palatial office at Warner Brothers-

**Eric:** Yeah, fountains and-

**Joh:** Yeah. And uh, uh, talking through the story of Skin and the shapeshifter and obviously there's all kinds of shapeshifting that's been done in television and movies etc. and we got to find our own and came up with that scene where shapeshifter Dean goes down in the sewer and I remember reading some online posts a friends sent me that someone else, that a fan was watching a show and giving her impressions as she watched it 'Oh my god, Dean's taking his shirt off' followed immediately by 'Oh my god, he's taking his skin off' and I knew then that I, uh, that we had it. I was very pleased with it.

**Jensen:** Oh, the things we do.

**David:** Jensen, you have a scene?

**Jensen: **Uh yeah, I have a couple actually. The first would be in uh, in Dead in the Water but uh, I don't think that's aired yet. I don't know if I'm allowed to say.

**Eric:** What-what scene are you thinking of?

**Jensen:** The uh-the-Hold on. (**Jensen** removes mic and gets up to walk over to Eric, whispering in his ear)

**Eric:** Eh, you know what, go ahead. It's not too spoilery and if the studio wants to give us any heat about it, I'll talk to them.

**Jensen:** (Returns to seat and attaches mic) Cool. Okay, so yeah. One of my favorite uh, it's not really a full scene but it's more of a shot. Um, and it was in-it was in Dead in the Water which Kim directed and um, where I have this little boy and we're in a lake and we're coming out of the water and um, that was it. It was just a slow motion shot, it was very emotional. I was coming out of the water and uh, that was really neat but the buildup to that shooting it was really uh, I had this ten-year-old boy in my hand and I'm keeping both of us afloat with one arm, um, because I can't move my feet because I've got two divers holding my feet below me that are about to pull me under and I'm fine, I grew up swimming in lakes all my life, but uh, to have that sensation of somebody pulling you under water, especially when you've got the life of a ten-year-old little actor in your hand and you're trying to keep him afloat and he's got to play dead and it was just a little overwhelming and it was definitely unforgettable and we got through it and it turned out to be an awesome shot.

**David:** You said you had another?

**Jensen:** Uh yeah, the other is uh, I don't even know what episode it's in now but uh, they're all at the house in Oklahoma and I don't know, Sam's sitting on the couch or something and Skye and Dean are playing chess while doing weapons maintenance and it just-it was such a nice little piece of semi-normality in their insane lives and it just-it stayed with me.

**Joanie: **Was that Scarecrow?

**Jared:** Asylum.

**Jensen: **Yeah, yeah it was Asylum.

**David:** Joanie, how about you?

**Joanie:** Oh, um, a favorite scene. Um, the episodes haven't aired yet so I'll be vague and you'll understand what I mean when you see them, but um, my favorite was um, was when Skye finally met John and then later their whole ...discussion. I'm just going to leave it at that. Aside from that, I quite enjoy the banter and the bickering and the nicknames, those are fun for me.

**David:** Jared?

**Joanie:** Oh, wait wait, I have one more! Sorry, sorry, Jared. Um. It was in Faith. The scene where I-where Skye is dead and-and Dean is cradling her dead body in the mud in the lot outside the faith healer and-and- (Starts gigglings)

**Jensen:** Oh I know what she's getting at. Alright. (Laughs) Um, while we were filming that scene, you know it's supposed to be super serious and tragic and Dean's crying and-and what you couldn't see was that outside of frame, was that Joanie and Jared were both doing their damndest to make me break character.

**Jared:** And the garlic. (Laughing)

**Jensen:** Oh God I almost forgot about that. Jo-Jo ate like-like an entire clove of garlic just before shooting and she was breathing right in my face every chance she got.

**Joanie:** Jared uh, Jared bribed me to do that. So gross, so worth it.

**Jensen:** Did he really? Why am I not surprised. Dude, so wrong.

**Jared:** I don't know what she's talking about. I did no such thing. Uh, we-we must have ended up doing more than a dozen takes before they just called a break until we could get it together.

**David:** That's an awesome story. Jared?

**Jared:** Uh, you know what, I've had some time to think while they've answered their questions and I'm going to go back to a scene in Wendigo-

**Joanie:** Wen-dig-oh. Not Wen-deeg-oh. I looked it up, Charmed was right.

**Jared:** Fine, okay, Wen-dig-oh. There was this scene in Wendigo that we did at the very, you know, second episode of the year and you know, I remember there's such a long period of time between the pilot and Wendigo. It was what, from March or April till July? And uh, there were so many questions in my head when I found out we were getting picked up. Like, what's going to happen, where are we going to start, like, how do we start, how do we finish, how do we continue this story that we started in the pilot with so many things going down. How do we keep the momentum going and there was this one particular scene that Jensen and I did when we were on stage and Jensen, where he's got Dad's journal, and he's saying 'that's what this is about' and Sam's saying 'we got to find Dad' and I remember we had a huge day that day. We had like eight or nine pages of dialogue and Jensen and I realize we had to do this scene and we're like, 'oh crap' like 'what' like 'let's go memorize in my trailer'. We sat in my trailer and there was an acting coach that I work with whenever I can named Cameron Thorpe there with us and uh, you know, he kind of pushed and prodded me a little bit and I don't know what he did to Jensen but-

**Jensen:** I don't want to talk about it.

**Jared:** It was noisy.

**Jensen: **Never again.

**Jared:** That's between y'all and the wall but anyways, we ended up kind of getting the scene and kind of putting something there and I think it was one of the first times I ever felt like I was, um, I was hopefully doing what Kripke wanted you know? Like, I felt like, I think this is what Eric was envisioning. I really felt like, for some reason, this is one of those times where you finish a scene and you're like 'wow, I don't know where that came from' but, I don't know, whatever.

**Eric:** I remember seeing the dailies on that too, we were just through the roof. It was incredible.

**Robert:** I think, my favorite scene is really kind of a quiet scene and it's in the Faith episode and the scene is the one where Skye's in the chapel in the hospital and she's breaking down and she's praying, saying that even through her childhood and all she's been through that she's never asked for anything and then she just breaks down and starts begging God not to take Dean and...I just thought the acting in that scene was incredible and she really blew it out of the water and gave me everything I was asking for there.

**Joanie:** Thank you, Robert.

**Eric:** I agree with all of those, those are all incredible scenes. I would also add the scene when uh, when Dean first calls his father in Home and tells him that-come to Lawrence and just the way that Jensen was able to try to put up those walls but the walls kept breaking down and that was amazing. But, all those amazing scenes aside, everyone's given such classy answers. ...Except Joanie.

**Joanie:** ...Thanks, so much. Love you too, Eric.

**Eric:** Um, I have to say that when the dude stuck his hand in the disposal in Home and then the monkey starts clapping and we had that shot beneath the sink and you could actually see all the goop come out and I said that I-and we shot the dailies- and I said they'll never let us use that and we used it and it's probably, more than any other scare sequence in the show, it's the one that people watch and they just can't even keep their eyes on the screen and you know, to me, it's sort of the fun of getting the effect out of the audience. So I'm going to say the garbage disposal scene in Home.

**David:** It's great because that explains what Bob was talking about before with the two different approaches.

**Eric:** See, there you go.

**David:** Okay, just a couple of more questions and then we'll have to wrap this up. Okay, there on the end and then back there in the corner.

**Question:** Um yeah, my uh, my question is I guess mostly for Eric. Is there anything you did that you wished you could go back and do differently or that didn't go like you'd planned for it to go?

**Eric:** Uh yeah, yeah, a couple of things actually. The uh-the whole relationship developing between Skye and Dean was originally going to be more of a slow burn that built up over most of the season but we-we decided that we wanted to go basically the opposite direction with that and speed it up a bit. Uh, it-it-we decided that their relationship really needed to be on a more solid footing before, you know, Chaya and then all of the drama that comes later in the season. That uh-that those two would need each other to fall back on, and speaking of Chaya we-we um, Faith was going to be a lot further into the season but we switched it around so we could do the big reveal of who and what Skye was due to uh-well, like John was saying earlier, just due to the nature of television, that slow buildup just didn't really work out like I had hoped it would.

**David:** Okay, one last question. Um, here, down in front with the yellow skirt.

**Question:** So, okay, in the show we see you guys bicker a lot and fight and then here on stage we've kind of seen the same thing and I was just wondering, how do you guys really get along?

**Jensen:** We don't, at all.

**Jared:** Yeah uh, no, we get along great, which is good considering we spend the majority of our time together. Really, these guys are-are my best friends and we spend a lot of our off time together too.

**Jensen: **What he said. We um, we do bicker but um, really, I-I couldn't imagine doing this with anybody else.

**Joanie:** This-this whole thing has been a trip for me and um, I got really really lucky that I fell into this and specifically that I fell into it with Jared and Jensen. I know it hasn't been the easiest what with me still being so new and all and they have been the most patient, the sweetest guys I could have hoped to do this show with and have taught me so much and uh-and yeah, I love them both dearly.

**David:** Okay, that's all we've got time for. I want to thank you guys for being such a great audience.

**Eric:** Can I say one more thing?

**David: **Before you go, before you go, don't go yet, I also want to thank-Well, first of all Eric's got something to say.

**Eric:** I just want to say uh, to say we have a lot of the people who work on Supernatural in the audience an I want a round of applause for them for this unbelievable season. All of them have done such a great job. They've all murdered themselves to bring you this show and we couldn't do it without any of them, so thank you to them.

**David:** I also want to thank you guys, all of you, for not just being here tonight but also for the great work that you're doing. You're obviously touching a chord.

* * *

X*X*X*X*X

* * *

X*X*X*X*X

* * *

Author's Note: The complete index/summary/synopsis for season one of The Ties That Bind, as well as (semi-frequent) updates can be found on the author's profile.


End file.
